ELEMENTALS, Chapter Four

Classics Challenge: "Wuthering Heights"

January is practically over, and I'm finished reading "Wuthering Heights." This post might be a little confusing because, at least for me, the book was confusing. Here's a quick summary for you:
Wuthering Heights is a wild, passionate story of the intense and almost demonic love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine's father. After Mr Earnshaw's death, Heathcliff is bullied and humiliated by Catherine's brother Hindley and wrongly believing that his love for Catherine is not reciprocated, leaves Wuthering Heights, only to return years later as a wealthy and polished man. He proceeds to exact a terrible revenge for his former miseries.
First off, I wouldn't say it was a "wild, passionate" story. More like a story of five children who weren't taken care of in their youth who went on to have a painful future. The book itself moved very slowly, but the intense foreboding leaking through the typed script had me reading frantically. Things couldn't end well, I knew. Little did I know how bad they could get! Heathcliff. Before I started "Wuthering Heights," I figured Heathcliff was some roguish, but romantic guy. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Heathcliff was a total villain throughout. I kept waiting for him to be "saved."

He wasn't. And his death was so unsatisfying. Believe it or not, Heathcliff didn't earn the "Emily's Least Favorite Character" slot. The maid, Ellen Dean did. She went along with things so easily and allowed them to spin out of control. If anything, a majority of the tragedies in the book can be linked back to her! I also didn't like Lockwood. He wasn't the "hero" I was hoping for. The story weaved through different time periods in different point of views--which made the plot all the more interesting. It wasn't something I expected from an older novel. All in all, "Wuthering Heights" is worth the read, just be prepared not to encounter any "real" heroes throughout. The characters are forced to make their own happy endings from what life gave them. Some of them succeeded and some of them succumbed to the darkness that's in all of us. In the end, I suppose "Wuthering Heights" has human nature woven through it, which might explain why it's such a cherished classic today. Up next, "Pride and Prejudice," just in time for Valentine's Day!

Query Critique #7: INGRID BAKER’S ALTERNATE ENDING

My thoughts are added in red. Every comment is my own opinion. Readers, feel free to leave your own comments below and help a fellow writer out!

If you're interested in a Free Query Critique, follow the link for more information.

Original Version (with comments):

Dear,

When her dead father is linked to a missing actress, a lonely tenth grader heads to New York to find the parallel world they’re hiding out in. At least that’s the story she’s telling people. (I don’t think you need this line. The first sentence of the next paragraph is your real hook!)

Things have gone down the toilet since Ingrid’s physicist dad was murdered presumed dead last year. (Love! It’s hard to come up with a stellar first sentence, and you definitely have one here!) Her mom won’t eat, her best friend won’t talk to her (What does this have to do with her dad dying? Don’t best friends usually get closer when one of them is going through a difficult time? You may want to throw in a few words that explain this a little more.), and she’s at a new school where classes feel like they’re for convicts (Could you cut a few words from this to simplify it? It could be a lot punchier. Like, “her new school is full of soon-to-be convicts.” I’m sure you can think of something better!), not ordinary tenth graders. When her Physics teacher assigns a group project, loner Ingrid teams up (Does her teacher assign the groups? From “team up” I’m getting an eager feeling on Ingrid’s part instead of chagrin. Just want to be sure that’s what you’re going for!) with Will, the new guy at school with a mysterious past, and Nadia, the quiet girl with a past written on the bathroom walls (Love this. It’s so hard to “show” and not “tell” in a query letter—you pulled it off splendidly!).

Inspired by her dad’s disappearance, Ingrid suggests parallel worlds as their project topic. She tells Will and Nadia her father is missing,—not dead,—and that his disappearance is linked to the headline news of the day, missing actress, Claire Harlow (Here things start to get very confusing. I think you might want to put some more information about her dad’s disappearance in the first paragraph. Maybe in the first line, so all of the “parallel world” information doesn’t seem to come out of nowhere). Ingrid isn’t totally talking crazy. She really did find something connecting her dad to Claire Harlow (What is the “something”? The only point you want agents asking questions in your query letter is at the end. And that should be: what happens next? Or how fact can I ask for a request?!). But her lie balloons (She was lying? I really thought there were parallel worlds in your story and that her father was kidnapped to one of them. You might want to make it clear that she was lying to Will and Nadia upfront) as their complicated friendship deepens grows. By the time the three of them sneak off to New York to hunt down a wormhole for their project, Ingrid is worried that the truth will turn her relationships - with her new friends and her dead father (How does she have a relationship with her dead father?)– on their head.

INGRID BAKER’S ALTERNATE ENDING is a 75k word contemporary YA novel with elements of science (without being science fiction) and mystery that would appeal to fans of Jasmine Warga’s MY HEART AND OTHER BLACK HOLES and Stephanie Tromly’s TROUBLE IS A FRIEND OF MINE. I am a writer living in Toronto, Canada (You probably don’t need to say this unless it relates to your book.). I’ve included the first 500 words below as per your guidelines. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Overall, I think the first paragraph of your query letter is really strong. It just needs some tweaking as far as wording is concerned. The second paragraph is a little messier. I think it would help if you put more information regarding Nadia’s father’s death/disappearance in the first paragraph, as well as making it clear that parallel universes is a lie Nadia cooked up. At the end of the query letter, I’m still not sure if her dad was sent to a parallel universe or exactly what happened. That being said, this sounds like a really unique concept that I haven’t read before. Reorganize the second paragraph, and I think you’ll have a stellar query letter on your hands! Feel free to send the edits back for a second look. Good luck!

Book to Kindle Reading: A New Way to Edit

♫ "I've got a new way to walk... Walk! Walk!" ♫

If you don't recognize that snippet of song you either didn't watch Sesame Street as a kid or you weren't born in the 90's.

Regardless, if you're a writer, I've got an exciting and new editing strategy for you! 

Hold onto your hats. Find a sturdy chair. Take off those socks before you lose them!

Kindle Editing, Your Book in e-Print

Instead of sitting in front of a computer or printing out your book for a different perspective, consider downloading it to your Kindle app. (DISCLAIMER: I use this method for plot and typo editing, not in-depth line editing). This way you can read wherever you like without fear of flyaway pages!

A lot of blog posts say how great Kindle-editing is, but they don't explain HOW to get your book into Kindle format. Follow the steps below and you'll be reading on your Kindle (or tablet) in no time!

1. Make sure you have an Amazon account. Don't worry, it can be one of the free ones.

2. Format your Manuscript. I advise saving a different version of your book for this step. For example: These Wicked Waters.Kindle. You'll want to make this version very simple. Get rid of page numbers and any unnecessary spacing (shame on you who use "enter" instead of "page break!").

3. Go to ToePub. You should see this page:

Make sure "Mobi" is selected. Then press upload. Attach your book. When it's finished, download the converted version. Keep it somewhere you'll be able to find it again.

4. Remember that Amazon Account you made in step one? This is where you'll need it. To get your newly converted book onto your Kindle/Kindle App, you need to email it it your Kindle App. Here's how you get it: 

Log into Amazon ➡ Click "Your Account ➡ Under "Orders" click "View Your Kindle Orders" ➡ Select the "Your Devices" tab" ➡ There you'll see three optional Kindle accounts with their corresponding emails. Make sure you select the one with the device name correlating to your App ➡ Open your email, paste your Kindle's address in the "to" field ➡ Attach your Mobi formatted book ➡ Send ➡ Refresh your Kindle App an in a few minutes you should see your almost perfectly formatted book sitting on your shelf!

5. Congratulations! You're finished. Now you can edit anywhere, anytime, and however you like!

Get Outside

It's currently winter in my part of the world (though you couldn't exactly tell by our temperatures lately). 
Colder weather typically sends people scurrying inside to cuddle under blankets and next to fireplaces. I'm all for warmth and cocoa, but sometimes, you need to brave mother nature and vacate the house.

There's something about fresh air that awakens the senses--especially cold air. In fact, early in my writing career, when I was typing a lot of my novels in the wintertime, I'd sit on my front porch and write. I'd bundle up in a coat, hat, gloves, fuzzy blanket, and stick an electric heater nearby.
It helped get me out of a writing "rut" while te fresh (and chilly) air sparked my imagination.
So are you finding it hard to pen the right words? Or maybe you're just having a hard time finding motivation to write? Well, get outside!
You don't need to be crazy like me, lugging your laptop out in 30 degree temperatures to type. Go for a walk, explore the world around you. Trust me, you'll be richer when you return home than if you'd just been snuggled under a blanket.

ELEMENTALS, Chapter Three

Mid-Month Update: "Wuthering Heights"

I've been super excited to write this post. Why? Well, I couldn't keep reading "Wuthering Heights" until I updated you guys, and I stopped at a really pivotol moment for the suffering characters in Ms. Bronte's story.
Hopefully from those few sentences above you can guess what this blog post is going to be about...
In case you can't read between the lines, I'll spell it out.
I'm LOVING "Wuthering Heights." 
Which is really, really interesting to me because when I put it on the Classics Challenge list, I didn't expect to like it. In fact, I didn't even know what the book was about other than a vague awareness of brooding Heathcliff and "his" Catherine.
Oh, boy! This novel is bursting with insedoius plots, ill-begotten romance, and the good kind of frustration. I love it.
Of course, if you asked me WHY I like "Wuthering Heights" so much, I might not be able to tell you. There's just something scandalous and dark lurking between the finely crafted sentences. With not previously watching movie to spoil the ending (ahem, "Little Women..."), I can't help but rush toward the last page to see how everything plays out.
SPOILER ALERTS BELOW. READ AT YOUR OWN PLOT-RELATED PERIL.
I despise Heathcliff. Like seriously. The only literary character I might have disliked more than him might be Professor Umbridge. Or other archetypes of that ilk. UGH! He's just such a nasty, selfish, INSANE person.
Unfotunately I can't view him as the "villian" I'm sure he's intended to be. All I can think about it a Klondike Bar...

Ms. Bronte has pulled off the multiple POVs splendidly and the alternating timelines without causing confusion. I can't wait to jump back into "Wuthering Heights" and see if Heathcliff is successful with his revenge, or not...
I'm seriously hoping for the "not," but seeing how the book starts, things don't look good.

Writer's Block Cure-All

Do you guys remember a few posts ago wherein I discussed a certain problem I was having? (That particular post is here)
Well, I've found the cure to my atychiphobia, lazy, uninspired episode. And I'm going to share it with you. It's surprisingly easy and only involves three steps.
1. Get away from your writing. No, seriously. Don't even look at it. You know the adage "distance makes the heart grow fonder"? Well it's true. As far as your novels are concerned, anyway.
2. Take a trip to your library (or bookstore) and read something out of the status quo. In my case, it's classics (*cough*Classics Challenge*cough*). Reading Wuthering Heights got my mind off one of my greatest weaknesses: low writerly self-esteem. Unintentionally, with every YA book I pick up, I compare my skills, ideas, and characters to another writer's. Reading something out of my genre (and century!) let me really enjoy the story. And I got a break from questioning my writerly worth.

3. Reevaluate why you're writing. Without a clear goal, it's easy to get off track. I'm writing for two reasons: to glorify God and to share my stories with the world. One day I'd love for my novels to be cherished and reread over and over again. A girl can dream, right?
...And that's it! 
Three simple steps that involve nothing too drastic. Trust me, they make a world of difference. I'm 100% ready--okay, 98% ready--to jump into my stories and give them the effort and love they deserve.
How about you?

The "Itch"

Winter has officially settled along the East Coast. For now, anyway. The weather has caught a deplorable case of the "maybe, maybe not"'s. 
Regardless, as much as I love snow (though we don't have any a the moment), I've got the urge to go somewhere warm. Not just warm, but hot. I'm talking palm trees, sandy beaches, and flip flops. 
Unfortunately those places are both out of my price range and currently unattainable (responsibilities, alas!). Are you in the same boat as me? Stuck waiting for June or July to roll around on the good ol' calendar? Stuck. Stuck. Stuck.
Or... are we?
If books count as summer vacations, we are totally not stuck! In fact, I'm prepping to delve into THESE WICKED WATERS, a book that takes place:
1. On an island. 2. At a five star resort. 3. During the SUMMER.
Maybe my body can't be enjoying the sun and heat, but my mind can. That's the wonderful part about books. You can go anywhere. You can do anything. You can be anyone.
And, okay, I'll admit, snuggled up against the cold reading a book gives off very different vibes from stretched out on the beach with a book in one hand and chilled water in the other.

But at least it's something!

Classics Challenge: Emily Brontë

"Proud people breed sad sorrows for themselves." ~Emily Brontë
The second author in our year-long Classics Challenge is another unmarried writer, Ms. Emily Jane Brontë. I was excited to delve into the background of this famous woman. First because we share the same name. And second because her older sister, Charlotte, and younger sister, Anne, are other classic authoresses. Literary love ran in the family!
Despite their love for fiction, the Brontë family suffered their share of sorrow. At the age of three, Emily lost her mother to cancer. In a few years her older sisters, Elizabeth and Maria, would die of tuberculosis. Charlotte, Branwell (brother), Emily, and Anne were the only surviving Brontë children.
Although tragedy burdened Emily in her early life, she enjoyed her life on the moors of Hathworth. She loved imagining stories with her siblings. Her fictional world of "Gondal," which she created with Anne Brontë, was a key setting in many of her early stories.
As "Ellis Bell," Emily wrote and published her only novel Wuthering Heights.  Readers weren't sure what to make of Wuthering Heights and it wasn't until Emily's death in 1848 (of tuberculosis), that the novel obtained literary acclaim.
Emily Brontë lived to be 30 years old.

Writerly Things to Learn from Emily Brontë
1. It's okay to be shy. Emily tried going to a school where her sister Charlotte taught, but returned home after only a few months. She was a definite homebody.
2. Stretching and sharing your imagination makes it stronger. Emily spent her childhood imagining with her siblings. No doubt it helped her grow into a wonderful writer!
3. Dabbling is fun. Emily didn't just write novels. She created poetry and short stories as well. Don't confine yourself to a box.
4. Not everyone will get you. Critics didn't know what to think of Emily's Wuthering Heights. Even today people read too much into the plot. Write what you love, regardless of what "critics" claim.
Now onto Wuthering Heights! You're welcome to join in. The more, the merrier.

ELEMENTALS, Chapter Two

Happy New Year!